Hello all,
First post for me, and I will try to not make it a long rant
My background and where I am coming from. I have been flying RC since the mid 1970's, I have done a few helos, and started doing multirotors about 6 years ago. Aerial imaging / photography / videography was not a draw for me, I just wanted to fly stuff. And while I had put cameras on various platforms (going back to a 126 film camera on a Sr Telemaster), that was just experimenting a few times, not something I did regularly. And when FAA registration started in Dec of 2015 I registered. That was actually the first time I learned the 5 mile around an airport limit, prior to that I knew not to fly near them, but did not know a "real" defined limit, not sure if it had always been 5 miles or not.
I registered in Dec 2015, learned the 5 mile limit, and realized I had two airfields near me that might be a factor. A quick trip to Google Earth and their measuring tools showed me nope, I was just outside one airfields area, and well outside the other. I live on a few acres here in the desert, and there is open desert for miles on two sides of my property, so I often fly from my yard.
All was good, I was compliant to the regs...and then I bought a P4 last weekend. Rather, my wife bought me one. I get it home, charge up a couple of batteries, load the app on my Tab 4, and fire it all up inside the house to learn the menus. Not turning the props, just turned on the electronics and learning where things are. No GPS signal in the house, but did not expect it, the rest of the setup really intrigued me, this is really nice. So out in the yard I go, for the maiden flight.
I was surprised when I got an alert that I was in Class D airspace and I would have to override and acknowledge before it would let me take off.
A little research and looking at online maps that have come online since the last time I looked for this information shows I am 150 yards inside the 5 mile circle of the closer of the two airfields, not just outside of it as I thought. I guess they mark the center of the field different than it appeared to me on Google Earth.
So, what is my question? When the drone regs were written who gave input on them? Essentially, as I understand it, to the letter of the law I cannot take off (without contacting the no tower, sometimes unmanned, airfield) and hover at 6 feet over my property. Since my neighbor on one side has 90 foot tall trees, and I have 50+ foot tall ham antennas, wouldn't such a regulation make more sense if worded something to the affect of flight higher than local obstructions is not allowed within 5 miles of this airfield?
So I can't fly over my own property, at any height, even though I have stuff sticking up in the air over 50 feet on the property and trees over 90 feet border my property, and if I was 150 yards south east I could go up to 400 feet with no issues. Yeah, I know, it is a specific situation, and might not fit many, but it just does not make a lot of sense to me.
T!
First post for me, and I will try to not make it a long rant
My background and where I am coming from. I have been flying RC since the mid 1970's, I have done a few helos, and started doing multirotors about 6 years ago. Aerial imaging / photography / videography was not a draw for me, I just wanted to fly stuff. And while I had put cameras on various platforms (going back to a 126 film camera on a Sr Telemaster), that was just experimenting a few times, not something I did regularly. And when FAA registration started in Dec of 2015 I registered. That was actually the first time I learned the 5 mile around an airport limit, prior to that I knew not to fly near them, but did not know a "real" defined limit, not sure if it had always been 5 miles or not.
I registered in Dec 2015, learned the 5 mile limit, and realized I had two airfields near me that might be a factor. A quick trip to Google Earth and their measuring tools showed me nope, I was just outside one airfields area, and well outside the other. I live on a few acres here in the desert, and there is open desert for miles on two sides of my property, so I often fly from my yard.
All was good, I was compliant to the regs...and then I bought a P4 last weekend. Rather, my wife bought me one. I get it home, charge up a couple of batteries, load the app on my Tab 4, and fire it all up inside the house to learn the menus. Not turning the props, just turned on the electronics and learning where things are. No GPS signal in the house, but did not expect it, the rest of the setup really intrigued me, this is really nice. So out in the yard I go, for the maiden flight.
I was surprised when I got an alert that I was in Class D airspace and I would have to override and acknowledge before it would let me take off.
A little research and looking at online maps that have come online since the last time I looked for this information shows I am 150 yards inside the 5 mile circle of the closer of the two airfields, not just outside of it as I thought. I guess they mark the center of the field different than it appeared to me on Google Earth.
So, what is my question? When the drone regs were written who gave input on them? Essentially, as I understand it, to the letter of the law I cannot take off (without contacting the no tower, sometimes unmanned, airfield) and hover at 6 feet over my property. Since my neighbor on one side has 90 foot tall trees, and I have 50+ foot tall ham antennas, wouldn't such a regulation make more sense if worded something to the affect of flight higher than local obstructions is not allowed within 5 miles of this airfield?
So I can't fly over my own property, at any height, even though I have stuff sticking up in the air over 50 feet on the property and trees over 90 feet border my property, and if I was 150 yards south east I could go up to 400 feet with no issues. Yeah, I know, it is a specific situation, and might not fit many, but it just does not make a lot of sense to me.
T!
